Thunderstorm
by Mitsukuni-san
Summary: A ThunderShield Thor/Steve fic. In the middle of potentially dangerous times they are both trying to do what is best and they are both trying to figure each other and themselves out. With Loki being evil, and Tony being.. Tony (Summary is awful but the story will be better, I promise!) A bit angsty, romantic, eventful and rated M for probable themes and swearing ect. :)
1. The Calm

_A Thor/Captain America fic. I wouldn't haven normally done this pairing but it is for a good friend *ahem* Lewis so he owes me big time! This is set after Thor and Captain America and before the avengers (it is only under avengers because of all of the characters used) Warnings for eventual slash m/m pairings and probable themes (although I haven't planned that far ahead haha) Otherwise enjoy! This will be uploaded simultaneously on archive of our own (here /works/958183 ) and that will basically be the same version but with likely explicit sex scenes... :)_

Orange light from the setting sun filtered in through the open doors of the balcony making the entire room look as if it were on fire. The soft orange light was pierced with bright glints of gold from the frame of the ornate four poster bed and accenting furniture. The room could only be described as grand but the figure pacing in it looked anything but. His shoulders were slumped, reflecting the exhaustingly long day he had endured; the shoulders were brushed by long golden hair that framed the face of one who still mourned the loss of one they loved, a brother. The last time he had saw his brother was that night at the Bifrost. The climax to events Thor never thought possible, events that ended with Loki falling from the Bifrost and sadness in his face that Thor had to believe was sincere. After Loki was 'gone' they all believed him dead, and they mourned but it was apparent Thor took it the hardest. He missed his brother, his old brother when they were still close and would do anything for one another. Thor shook his head, his long hair becoming more tousled, he'd had a long day and it was taking its toll the last thing he needed to be doing was thinking of things such as Loki.

He walked over to the bed, removing the cumbersome armour and lay down staring at the canopy. Thor's eyes were already heavy lidded as he made his way over to the bed and he could feel them closing further as he gazed at the rich fabric of the cover obscuring his view of the ceiling. Moments later his eyes were fully closed and the welcoming comfort of sleep surrounded him.

_"Brother, brother. I'm begging you. Please, help me. THOR PLEASE!" _

Thor sat bolt upright, a small chill reminding him he was still laying on top of the bed and was exposed to the cool night air. He rubbed his face and yawned deeply, of course it would be the nights he was the most tired he would have dreams such as that.

_"Thor? Please, brother."_

Thor's eyes widened almost comically at that sound of his brothers voice again, he was almost positive he was awake this time. Dare he hope even the tiniest bit?

_"Please, they are keeping me here they call themselves the Chitauri. It's so dark." _Thor could hear the pleading in his distant voice and though only of what he could do to save his brother, to have him back.

_"There is this object, called the tesseract on Midgard. They want it, they want it so bad. Please bring it, save me from them." _Thor stood up, unaware he was actually talking to an empty room but desperate to help, his deep voice shattering the silence.

"Anything brother, tell me where it is and I shall come."

_"I can tell you exactly where it is."_

* * *

He had been 'awake' for several days now, staying at one of S.H.I.E.L.D.s major bases. They told him it was so he could settle in with help at hand but he knew he was there so they could monitor him. After what happened he was certainly not surprised, being a frozen super soldier for nearly 70 years apparently makes you something special and potentially useful in the eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D. Although he would have ended up staying at the base regardless since there was nowhere else for him to really go, he was alone, a man out of time.

Steve was spending another repetitive day in the gym working out, something normal and routine to him in this new modern age, when Nick Fury walked it looking as stern as he always does. How did he get his coat to billow that dramatically?

"What can I help you with Sir?"

"Don't call me Sir makes me sound old say Director or Fury or something. You are aware that the tesseract was found and S.H.I.E.L.D. took possession of it. We figured since you had the most dealings with it perhaps you should babysit it while it's here at the base."

"With all due respect Director Fury, you should not have brought it here. It may have been a long time but people will still be looking for it. People you never want to possess that much power."

"Comment ignored, what's done is done. It is being moved soon to a secure location at any rate. Now haul ass and get guarding."

He knew it was a bad idea having it here but he also knew it would be that small bit safer with him which was the only reason he was doing this since Fury would never listen to him regardless. That and he needed something to do; the monotony of being on the base was draining him. Donning black cargo pants and a t shirt he 'got to work' praying that for once no one wanted the tesseract and it would be a simple job.


	2. Convection

It had been a dull cloudy day, the kind of day when your mood reflects the weather and you don't know if it is coincidence or if it's the weather causing the mood. Steve was on another uneventful tedious shift of guarding the tesseract, for something so powerful absolutely nothing interesting was happening. He had assumed it was because those who knew of the real power it held were either long gone or currently indisposed, you would also have to be some kind of mad to go through one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. He looked to his watch impatiently, practically begging the shift to end before he was relieved by a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; a small smile crossed his lips at the thought of him being able to do the job of a few men. The gaze returned to his watch trying to will time forward with his mind. At least they were actually letting him do something instead of trying to integrate him into the 'new world', he hated to be bitter but he could not stand the way they mollycoddled him, treating him like he didn't know anything. He was a soldier, he was strong and adaptable and they were treating him like a child.

Everything had been none too eventful for him since he was 'revived' considering who he was, not to play the whole 'do you know who I am' card; however, Steve preferred uneventful to having to save the world from the power hungry HYDRA although he did miss the fighting. Hopefully his thinking, however pensive, had passed sometime with another check of his watch he noted he was nearly due to leave which improved his mood somewhat.

The weather on the other had had taken a considerable turn for the worse as he heard a soft roll of thunder muffled by the thick reinforced walls of the building. Not a moment later there was an almighty crack of thunder that practically shook the walls, Steve stood up abruptly, there was something very wrong. That should not have been that loud from down here and he literally felt the floor shake, he mentally prepared himself for action facing the door assuming a defensive pose. There was a split second of silence before the doors to large room were thrown open with a resounding crash; the frame of the large doorway was filled with one of the biggest men Steve had ever seen. His large frame making Steve look small in comparison which was impressive in itself, even more impressive was the fact the air around him seemed to crackle with electricity and a faint smell of ozone saturated the atmosphere. His voice seemed deep as the thunder itself as he spoke,

"You would do best to get out of my way." Ever the proud soldier of course Captain America would stand his ground.

"I'm sorry but if you want the tesseract you will have to come and get it."

"Do not test me." Steve smiled, at least something exciting was now happening and apparently he was letting the adrenaline go to his head as he would never normally provoke someone but it had happened before he could think about it.

"Why, do you think you're not going to pass?" In the blink of an eye Thor was in front of him, inches away from his face, a large hand wrapped none too gently around his neck.

"This is your last chance to stand down."

"I'm sorry but no."

"Your pride will be your undoing soldier."

He sent him flying across the room with a well-placed punch to the abdomen knocking the wind out of him and rendering him temporarily immobile. He simply walked into the room and collected the case containing the tesseract, as if he were simply picking up mail, before leaving immediately the way he came leaving a crackle of thunder and a surprised Steve in his wake. Only a few minutes later and Nick Fury marched into the room as Steve was finally able to stand up using the wall for support.

"Well he was big." Fury merely stared at Rogers for his weak attempt to lighten the mood.

"Listen, not so long ago we had a visitor from another planet whose visitation ended up in the destruction of a small town in New Mexico. That was him, we don't know what he wants but we know he is strong and dangerous and now he has the tesseract. I would be on your guard Mr Rogers in case the bastard comes back." He turned and walked swiftly out of the room, leaving Steve to fathom what actually just happened.

* * *

Thor immediately left the base and using Mjölnir flew to the nearest open space before finding himself back on Asgard thanks to Heimdall who turned to him, eyeing the case in his hands.

"The Allfather has been informed."

"Thank you Heimdall, are the forces ready?"

Yes. I have also located the place you seek, a space between the realms. You would do well to tread carefully Thor, do not be deceived." Thor was indifferent to his warning as he waited impatiently for the Asgardian forces to arrive at the new Bifrost, anxious to go and save his brother. Once the small force had gathered and prepared they found themselves on a large rocky landscape. The place was barren, the only scenery being that of rocks that looked threateningly sharp and foreboding, boulders that looked perched to crush those beneath them in a moment. The sky was dark, too dark, stars hardly visible through a thick blanket of almost black cloud. Thor moved forward clutching the case tightly in one hand, Mjölnir ready in the other, and spotted Loki standing a few feet in front of him. The air felt thick and heavy, a chill creeping up Thor's spine as he took in the image of Loki, he did not look like he needed help at all. He was standing with his shoulders thrown back as if he were proud to be there, his head tilted down slightly as bright green eyes took in the sight of his brother as a smirk spread across his thin pink lips.

"Did you bring it brother?" He practically spat the words at Thor. "Did you bring it to save me? Did you mourn me brother, did you think me dead? And poor mother and father, did they miss me Thor?" The look on Thor's face made him grin; he looked like a puppy that had been kicked by its favourite master.

"Loki, what is this?"

"This? THIS! This is beyond revenge brother." The Asgardians behind him started to group together, weapons in hand as Chitauri that seemingly appeared from nowhere started to surround them slowly.

"This, Thor, is for the lies and the shame. This is for the hatred, for being alone, It's to show who is better, who is superior." Flecks of spittle started throwing themselves from Loki's lips as he spoke with a rage directed at Thor who was too taken aback to do anything but listen to him.

"This is about who really deserves to be sitting on a throne, a throne I deserve! And you better believe that my throne will be made from the decaying corpses and cowering pathetic figures of your precious humans! I want you to watch as your earth BURNS AT MY FEET!"

A look of shock and hurt were on Thor's face but overshadowed by the resolve and hope he still foolishly held for Loki.

"Brother, please. Do not do this."

"ENOUGH!"

Loki practically roared at him before a flash of light and a blinding pain found Thor in the middle of some kind of park, heaving himself to his feet breathing through the aftermath of pain that was still racking his body he looked to see where he was. He was definitely in a park of sorts, a park that happened to be on Midgard, without the tesseract.

Loki laughed as he tried to imagine the look on Thor's face as the idiotic Asgardian figured out where he was, never had a person been so easy to trick than his always ready to forgive 'brother'. Tesseract in hand he strode past the Chitauri carelessly stepping over the bodies of the people Thor had brought with him, he had plans to make.


	3. Cumulus

Steve had heard next to nothing from any of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents about what was now dubbed, the 'tesseract incident', only that the offending party was apparently called Thor. He had just returned to spending his days around the base mostly being left alone either killing time in the gym or covering a notebook in sketches, he would more than likely get into trouble if Fury saw them. Of course he wasn't surprised with the lack of information; it would be some kind of miracle if you ever got honest information from them. The only thing he did know was that he was now be leaving the base and going to stay with a Mr Tony Stark at Stark tower in Manhattan; it had something to do with an initiative involving the avengers? He naturally had no clue what it would involve but as long as it got him a change of scenery and someone decent to talk to he couldn't care less.  
Although before Steve had left he did have the sense to do a bit of research on Tony Stark if he was going to be staying there, he certainly wasn't stupid. He basically had free reign over a few of the computers at the base since they greatly underestimated his ability to adapt and assumed he would not be able to use them. What he did find out about Tony Stark certainly made him sound like a bit of a character, a socialite genius who likes to drink to be particular, but he didn't sound like too bad of a guy and he could live with that. Well, he would have to.

He ran a hand through his hair pushing it from his face, it was getting a bit too long for him and he would definitely have to get it cut, strands kept falling into his eyes and it was rather inconvenient at times. He turned his attention to window of the car; he could see they were nearly at Stark tower and it certainly wasn't hard to miss it, an expanse of glistening windows and modern design and the huge name across the side also helped. It may have been slightly flamboyant but anywhere was better than the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and silently judging Starks taste would also give him something slightly interesting to do. As they pulled up to the building and entered Steve was not surprised at all to find it just the same on the inside, all large spaces and modern technology wherever it could be used. After an unexpectedly quick and smooth elevator ride to the top of Stark tower they arrived in what could be described as the flashiest living area he had ever seen, everything just looked expensive but then again Stark could afford a place like this in every city if he wanted.

Stark was waiting for Steve to arrive in the middle of the living area, what he assumed was near a personal bar (no shock there then).

"Hey cap' pleased to meet you. Do you prefer Steve or cap'? Doesn't matter I was gonna call you what I wanted anyway." This had all left Tony's mouth before he had even put out a hand for Steve to shake, a grin plastered on his face. Steve smiled at his infectious enthusiasm as he grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Stark, nice place you got here." Tony raised an eyebrow and smirked at Steve, nice being an obvious understatement concerning his impeccable taste.

"Tony, please. You can make yourself at home since well it's technically your home now, nowhere is off limits to you." Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him in close and spoke in a whisper. "Unless you are reporting back to S.H.I.E.L.D.?" He managed to remain serious for about half a second before bursting into laughter and clapping him on the shoulder. "But seriously, what's mine is yours, except the suits of course. You have your own star spangled man." Steve inwardly cringed at the nickname, Tony was certainly something but he seemed like an alright guy and very easy to get along with once you fathomed his sense of humour.

"Right this way to your room, I'm sure you want to see it. There should be everything you need and anything else of course just ask." He followed Tony to his room and was greatly impressed with what he saw, it was simple but tasteful. The room was bigger than he thought, a king size bed in the centre with a door on the other side presumably leading to the bathroom.

"I am assuming you want to get settled in and all that, the kitchen is just down there past the bar and if you need me I will be in the lab and will more than likely see you in the morning."

"Thank you Tony, see you later." Steve nodded to him before he left to go down to the lab. He figured he might as well get settled in and started having a proper look around the room; there was endless amounts of storage space even a small fridge under the desk. A Large TV was mounted onto the wall so it could be watched lying in bed, the bathroom was equally as spacious housing both a bathtub and a shower enclosure. He decided he might as well watch some TV since it was getting late anyways; he took off his T shirt throwing it on the desk and putting on an old one to sleep in before removing his jeans, leaving his boxers, before sliding into bed and switching on the TV until he decided to turn in.

It was refreshing waking up in a very comfortable bed for a change, he was feeling completely relaxed for the first time in a long time and thought he would treat himself to a half decent breakfast. He rummaged around the bags he had yet to sort out and found a pair of sweat pants putting them on before he went through to the kitchen. As he neared the living area to get to the kitchen he heard Tony speaking with another man wondering if it was an agent to make sure he had settled in okay, although he had no idea why they would do that. As he got closer the voice sounded increasingly familiar but he couldn't place it, he walked into the large area and stopped dead in his tracks.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Thor turned to face him; the surprise also evident on his face, Tony looked between the two of them.

"Have you two met?"


	4. Light Rain

"You were the soldier at the base were you not?"

"Yes but again, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I must apologise for my previous untoward behaviour, I have been informed you are a captain?" Steve stood staring at him, momentarily speechless at how he could be acting so normal after what had happened at the base. He wasn't even sure if he was real, I mean how could one person unaided infiltrate a S.H.I.E.L.D. base and get away unharmed? He turned to Tony looking for an explanation,

"Could you please tell me what is going on?" He rubbed his face as he waited for an answer; it was far too soon after waking up for this.

"Well cap', it seems that Fury himself had Thor sent over here, even I don't know why or what happened. Also, what does he mean 'soldier at the base'?" Tony raised an eyebrow at him with interest.

"All I can tell you is that this man is very dangerous and he singlehandedly broke into the base I was at and took the tesseract with great ease."

"Yeah, I have heard about the tesseract." Steve looked at him incredulously, not a far cry from the look of a disapproving mother.

"What?! I like reading their files; they are great material for a slow night in the lab." Tony grinned as Thor began to speak, his voice resonant in the large room.

"Perhaps it would be best if this director Fury were to explain it as you and this captain are not inclined to trust me at the present time." The elevator doors to the living space nearly soundlessly opened and Nick Fury walked out his gaze trained on Thor.

"I swear to god Nick you get summoned when people talk about you, like a one eyed Beetlejuice or something."

"That's Nick Fury to you Mr Stark. Since I don't have time to baby-sit you boys I will get straight to the point."

"No shit Fury as per usual." Tony said under his breath earning a small snigger from Steve and a confused grin from Thor also earning a glare from Fury as he feigned innocence.

"Back to the matter at hand, you both basically know about the visitor New Mexico had a few months ago and what happened because of his crazy brother." Thor's face visibly twisted at the thought of his brother and Steve noted how deep this thing had to run.

"Well apparently Loki tricked Thor into bringing him the tesseract and now a crazy ass god of mischief has great power and we need a response team. Tony of course knows all about it." Tony pulled his best puppy dog eyes at Fury. "Oh cut the crap, I know you read our files Stark. Brief them and be ready for what could turn into an almighty shit storm." He gave them one last scrutinizing look before he turned and left.

"I would love to know how he gets in without JARVIS alerting me… Right now, gentlemen we can discuss this psychopath god business after breakfast, I'm famished." After food had been prepared, a rather large breakfast of eggs, bacon and pancakes, they were sitting around the breakfast bar in an admittedly awkward silence.

"Sooo, bad idea doing this before we had it all sorted out?" Steve just sent him a withering glare before turning his attention back to his food.

"I shall take that as a yes. So let's get this hashed out, right Thor, you're up. What the hell happened and keep it interesting."

"It is a long story to be told in great detail but I am sure at the moment you just wish to know about the tesseract?" He waited for both of them to nod before he continued, "Loki, my brother." The both heard his voice falter at the use of the family term. "He contacted me not so long ago and explained that he was being held captive and was not in fact dead as we had been lead to believe. He said I could save him from the Chitauri if I took the tesseract to him; of course I jumped at the chance to save him and procured the tesseract as soon as I could and took it to him. He was of course lying, I should have known but I was so desperate for him to come back home I fell for every word. As soon as he had the tesseract he sent me here blocking my path home and I can only assume he slaughtered the Asgardians I took with me. I led them to their deaths." Thor let his head fall into his hand, his mussed blonde hair obscuring his face. After hearing his side of the story Steve most definitely sympathised with him however he still felt like he needed to know more before he could fully understand and trust this strange man.


	5. Gales

A few days had passed with Thor, Steve and Tony all staying at Stark tower. It seemed like Tony was being the mediator between Steve and Thor, they weren't hostile per say, just generally ignoring each other not really wanting to be 'best buds'.

It felt to Steve as if he was now spending all of his time in the towers gym, it's not like he was avoiding people he just found it cathartic and it kept him busy. Also, even though he was a 'super soldier' he liked to make sure he was in peak physical shape in case anything were to happen, they were of course on high alert now. He had been testing out the new reinforced punching bags Tony had so kindly made for him when he heard a loud knock on the wall of the gym grabbing his attention; Thor stood just inside the doorway awkwardly filling the space, unsure if he should be there.

"Yes?"

"Tony said he had to leave for a while and told me to inform you."

"Okay then." Thor remained standing in the same place, looking with interest around the gym taking in all of the various pieces of equipment, uncertain if he should stay or leave. Steve noticed this and decided what the hell, if they were working together at some point they should at least be amicable.

"Do you want to spar?" Thor's face seemed to light up, just looking at him you could tell that sparring was more than likely one of his favourite past times.

"Try to go easy on me this time eh?" Thor just grinned as he walked over, to what appeared to be a fighting mat, with the grace of a trained warrior. He looked incredibly at home in this environment, as if this was where he truly shone and excelled.

"I will do my best not to win too quickly." Steve smirked, he would give it all he had and Thor didn't seem half as intimidating in a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, now this definitely would be interesting.

They both started to slowly circle each other on the mat silently evaluating each other, trying to get a feel for what type of fighter the other would be. Steve knew Thor would rely mostly on power with a traditional technique whereas Steve was a more tactical fighter ever analysing his opponent. Thor moved first going for a full frontal attack relying on power, as Steve assumed he would, so he quickly moved out of the way landing a blow to Thor's arm then his gut. Thor smirked at the prospect of a good fight and then the sparring truly began. They made use of the full area, each landing strong blows and deflecting each other's attacks, Steve was in his element being able to use his full abilities instead of having to hold back. Both men were covered in sweat and panting from the physical exertion as Thor went in for another attack, Steve went to block it but was taken by surprise as Thor, who was expecting the block, grabbed Steve's arm and twisted it behind him. A quick strong sweep of his leg around Steve's and he was on the floor, the side of his face pressing into the mat. The only sound that filled the gym was the sound of both men trying to catch their breath, a substantial amount of time passed before the sound of pants quietened into heavy breaths,

"You can let me go now you know." Thor realised he was still pinning Steve down and chuckled as he let go.

"There is something most different about you captain, yours is strength not usual for earth." They both stood up from the mat and Steve grabbed a towel and threw it around his shoulders after wiping his face; he gave a reminiscent smile,

"Well, it certainly makes for an interesting story. But first, I would like to know exactly where you are from."

"Perhaps we should go to the living area? It will be more comfortable as I think you will find it a most fascinating tale."

"Sounds like a good idea, see you there in a bit." Each of them went to their respective rooms to shower and change. As Steve stood under the hot spray of water he considered how quick he was to judge Thor, he never considered a complex back story, when he was at the base all he saw was another man after power. He was glad he wasn't, Thor seemed like an incredibly likeable person once you got to know him, albeit he did seem a bit odd; such as when he sometimes spoke like he was straight from a medieval novel but he was sure he would be enlightened when he told him his story. After he had showered and changed he walked into the living area to see Thor near the bar looking intently at the coffee machine, he was still not used to certain technology it seemed, maybe he could show him how to use it at some point.

"Why don't you sit down and I will make some?" Thor looked exceedingly grateful for the offer and moved to sit on the couch, it seemed everywhere Thor was he made everything look too small for him even the huge couch. He brought over two large mugs of coffee, placed them on the table, and sat on the sofa one leg crossed under the other and faced Thor. Thor started to speak, there was something about him when he spoke like this, as if he was a born story teller and Steve listened with rapt attention. He spoke of how he grew up on Asgard and the events leading up to how he ended up on earth in the middle of New Mexico; he told him about his time on earth with Jane, Selvig and Darcy and how they helped his so much. He spoke fondly of Jane and he spoke about his brother with great remorse and past fondness.

They had both lost track of time with Thor speaking for so long and elaborating on any questions that Steve had asked that they both jumped in shock when they heard Tony speak, they hadn't heard him come in.

"Am I missing the girly gossip party or something?" Steve looked at Tony and realised how dim it was in the room, they had been talking for so long the sun was setting.

"Well I would offer you two a drink but Thor would drink the bar dry and there is no point for you hey cap'? I'm having one though."

"You could at least make more coffee."

"Only because you asked nicely." Tony laughed as he moved over to the bar to get them their respective drinks, when he walked back over he fell dramatically on the couch, scotch in hand and looked at the other two.

"So, fancy a movie?" Steve smiled and nodded and Thor just raised an eyebrow at him.

"JARVIS, play Point Break."

After the movie had ended Steve now knew that Tony got very into a movie when he watched it and liked to shout at the screen and movies were now Thor's new favourite thing. Steve definitely had a new found respect for Thor after the day they had spent together, he had certainly learned a lot and now he was remarkably tired and ready for his bed. He stood up and stretched,

"Well 'night." Before they all left to turn in (and Tony would more than likely go to the lab) Thor turned to him,

"Goodnight, perhaps you can regale me with you tales and some point cap'." That nickname seemed to be here to stay.

* * *

Loki narrowed his piercing eyes at the image before him; of course he had to keep check on Thor. Everything needed to go perfectly he had spent too long waiting for it not to, anything less than perfect would simply not do. Thor seemed so settled in and happy on earth again, working with those filthy midgardians, acting like they were his equal, it sickened him to see his childhood brother at that level. He could have been so much more, they could have been so much more together and brothers in so much more than blood but now he would have to teach Thor a lesson.

He had no idea what was coming.


	6. Downpour

"Right guys, since we are now like bestest buds can we properly talk about this 'initiative'?" They were all sitting around the breakfast bar, it wasn't exactly an early morning but they had definitely put the coffee machine to exceedingly good use; each of them had a half-eaten breakfast in front of them. Thor just turned and nodded to Tony giving him the go ahead and Steve exhaled rather dramatically before he spoke,

"I suppose we better, me and Thor do need something to do or at least think about whilst you are off minding Stark industries." Tony was relatively relieved; things would now be a lot easier now that everyone was definitely getting along or at least amicable.

"I do not mind Stark industries; I help run it with great prowess." Steve snorted at the obvious lie, anyone who remotely knew Tony knew that it was Pepper who ran everything behind the scenes. Tony glared at him as he brought up a large 3D hologram over the bar, casting their faces in a soft blue light, the hologram was displaying data files and footage of various people including themselves. There were video clips taken in Mexico of the destroyer and old film footage of captain America when he was still a symbol and not a true hero. His breath caught in his throat as he saw small images of the people he used to know before Tony distracted him,

"Right now gentleman I present to you the Avengers initiative." With a flourish he got off the bar stool gesturing to the hologram with both hands and started to walk around them, highlighting and enlarging various bits of information and zooming into certain videos.

"I more than likely have more information on it than S.H.I.E.L.D. but, the more you know. Anyway, there are people on earth, or not even from earth," he raised an eyebrow at Thor, "that have been called superhuman. These 'super humans' were to be called, or assembled, if there was ever a major threat against earth. Now in this case that threat is Loki which really kick-started the programme. We are, to put it simply, protect the earth from these threats which is why you two are here. Well done for qualifying." The whole idea seemed rather logical, simple to organise and easy enough to keep running but Steve turned to Tony, a questioning frown on his face.

"What about the others? Why aren't they here at Stark tower?"

"Well it seems we are the primary response team and that's the basics of it all and there is also less of a chance of arguments happening if there are less people here. So basically all we have to do is keep the world safe."

"Oh yeah sure, sounds easy enough." Tony laughed rather raucously at Steve's rare display of sarcasm and had to get himself into check before speaking again,  
"Steve I know you have a cell phone but Thor doesn't so unfortunately you will have to stick with him until he gets one in case something comes up and we need to assemble or something." Thor finally decided to speak up after just sitting and listening,

"That does not seem at all to be too bad; perhaps the captain can finally regale me with some of his war tales since we are to be spending time together." He grinned at Steve, seemingly excited at the prospect of another night of storytelling.

"I hope I have enlightened you two as you why you are here then, didn't take long at all. Well, you two boys have fun and behave; I have a date with Pepper and a shit load of paperwork to get done." Tony got rid of the hologram still over the bar with a quick wave of his hand and went to go and get changed into something half decent before he left to meet Pepper.

"Well cap' it appears that we must stay together, do you suggest we should do something to fill the time?"

"There isn't anything exciting we can do, well around here anyway. And let's be honest, a guy can only train and watch films so much before he needs to do something different. How about we go out for a bit? It will get us out of the tower for a while."

"I would most definitely like that but will this be okay, what if something was to happen?"

"It will be fine, I have my phone in case we need to be contacted and JARVIS will keep an eye on the tower like he usually does."

"Yes indeed sir." Thor jumped a little at the sudden sound of JARVIS' voice, still not used to the AI in the building and Steve tried desperately not to laugh too much at his surprise.

"Right, let's get changed and go I'm ready for a change of scenery and some fresh air."

Around fifteen minutes later, half of which was spent trying to remember where he put his jacket, he walked out to meet Thor and was surprised at how different he looked. His long hair was pulled back off his face and tied back; a dark leather jacket covered his large frame straining slightly at his large shoulders. Steve frowned at the idea of being surprised by this then quickly shook it off, after a moment he finally spoke but his voice must have betrayed his surprise,

"Right let's go." After they had both stepped into the elevator and watched the doors close Thor turned to him and frowned slightly,

"Is everything alright?" You seemed to be somewhat shocked." Steve chuckled. Wait. Did that sound nervous?!

"Yes, yeah you just don't look like you." He knitted his brown further, still looking at Steve.

"Is this a bad thing?"

"No, no. It's good, well fine. It's fine." Thor seemed to find that answer more than acceptable as a grin spread across his features, and stayed there for the rest of the elevator ride down.

They had been out for a good two hours killing time in Manhattan seemingly content with each other's company and just being out in general. They were now quietly sitting on a bench in a public park watching the world go by, coffees in hand, when Steve's phone rang; he placed his coffee on the ground and gave Thor a reassuring 'it's probably nothing look' before answering. As soon as the person on the other end of the phone started to speak his face immediately fell and his eyes slowly widened before telling them they were on their way and hanging up. Thor sat facing him anxiously after he placed his coffee on the floor, waiting to be informed about the situation, expecting the worst. Steve took a breath before turning to him; a set look on his face and determination in his eyes,

"Loki is here Thor. He is in Manhattan and he is demanding to see you. He has said he will not stop killing people until you show up and he gets what he wants."

"We must go immediately." Thor stood up quickly his hands already flexing preparing himself for what was to come. Just as he had started to turn to head to Loki's location Steve reached out and grabbed his arm, the leather cool under his fingers. He got up from the bench, coffees forgotten on the floor, his hand still on Thor's arm.

"We will go immediately but Thor…" Steve's face looked as if he wanted to keep Thor out of this entirely if he could but they needed him to be there, his eyes filled with warning and sympathy.

What is it Steve?" Thor heard him take in a sharp breath, the hand on his arm tightened reassuringly.

"They have Jane."


	7. Frost

_Warning: evil!Loki this chapter gets very dark very quickly so prepare yourself and I promise it should pick up again in the next chap._

Loki was positioned in the centre of a public square his head tilted down but his eyes looking up at the men who had come to stop him, they seemed to glitter with malice and a madness that he had lost control of a long time ago. Screaming civilians were running from him anyway they could, trying to save their own lives, as he stood and revelled in the chaos he had brought with him. Steve's stomach churned as he scanned the square; the bodies of civilians, bloodied and crumpled, lay around him on the pavement staining it red. He was standing holding the limp, but thankfully unharmed, form of Jane Foster in his arms grinning manically at his brother, his lips a thin twisted line on a pale sculpted face. Thor stood stoically taking in the scene around him observing the disorder Loki had created one look at the figure in Loki's arms and he was running towards him, Mjölnir spinning in his hand ready to attack, bellowing Loki's name.

"THOR, WAIT!" Steve yelled after him, this was not the time to be heading into a fight without a plan! Thor didn't stop he just kept forging forward, seemingly hell bent on stopping his brother. His eyes widened in shock and realisation as Mjölnir went straight through Loki before the image of both him and Jane flickered in a multitude of colours before vanishing.

"How many more times Thor?" Both Thor and Steve frantically searched the area looking for him before Tony, who was up in the air; saw him on top of one of the buildings surrounding the square. He immediately let Thor and Steve know through the earpieces he had provided them with, as soon as they heard they ran over to the bottom of the building to see Loki standing on the edge.

"Where is she!?" Thor's voice was hoarse and filled with anger purely for Loki.

"Oh do not fret dear brother." He sounded as if his voice had been amplified, a quiet madness lying under his diction. "She is quite safe at the moment." Steve lifted his hand to his earpiece so he could talk to Tony, who was still circling above,

"Tony, can you get a clear hit?"

"Yes, but there will be major property damage to take him down, possible further civilian injury and he still has Jane but we don't know where. So, any other plans cap'?" Tony took his prolonged silence for a big no and started to panic slightly, things never looked too good when cap' couldn't even come up with a rudimentary plan. They couldn't attack without a high risk of severe retaliation and additional damage, they would just have to hope and pray that Thor could get through to him in some way, even if they could just get Jane back so they could finally deal with Loki. Before Steve could tell him what he had to do Thor was already on the roof facing Loki, both of them standing their ground staring at each other.

"Why are you doing this!? You have the tesseract, please stop this madness! Can we not be brothers once more?" Thor was always so full of hope; Tony could see him facing Loki silently begging him with his eyes.

"Do not direct your injudicious sentiment towards me!" As soon as Loki started speaking Thor seemed to know that there was no chance, he could hear it in his voice. Loki was past the point of no return. "I am doing this because I want to. I want you to suffer, to know what it is like to feel helpless; knowing you couldn't save all those people that will end up being no more than food for the maggots! I want you to know what it is like to feel inferior and HOPELESS." The anguish and hate in his voice tore at Thor's heart, he felt guilty about all of this feeling as if things could have been different if only he had done something, anything at all to save Loki. But he now knew Loki was beyond help and he lamented letting it ever get this far,

"At lease let me save her! Please, Loki tell me where she is." Loki simply stared at Thor before an unhinged smile covered his face, a small laugh escaping from between his lips. He flicked his eyes in the direction of another building on the opposite side of the square; wordlessly telling Thor that was where he needed to look; as he turned to look Loki grabbed his attention again by clearing his throat and spoke,  
"Never learning from your mistakes brother." Thor felt as if a weight had been dropped in his stomach as Loki flickered and vanished before him yet again. Time seemed to slow down as he turned to look where Loki had indicated before and saw the last thing he ever wanted to see. Jane had been thrown from Loki's arms off the rooftop; her body still limp as she fell toward the concrete. Steve, Tony and Thor were already calculating if they could get there in time to catch her until Thor looked back to Loki for a split second, he was holding a sceptre him his hand and the end of it was coated in blood. Everything seemed to stop when he noticed the dark shade of red blossoming on her chest as she fell, and every tiny shred of hope Thor ever held was extinguished. They all knew she could not be saved but they went to her all the same, Steve caught her body and laid her gently on the ground. He closed her lifeless staring eyes, it was too late.

All of the background noise seemed to fade out as they stood there; Loki watched them stand around her body, seemingly forgotten for a moment.

And in that moment he knew. He had won; he had beaten Thor however this was only a small victory. There was a battle still to be won.


	8. Thunder

It had been three days since they were called out to face Loki. Three days since Jane fell. After all he had done he had just vanished, left without a trace, he was still out there and still a threat but surprisingly Loki wasn't Steve's main concern; it was Thor. Since they had arrived back at the tower Thor had almost never left his room seemingly content in his solitude, he had let people in to bring him something or to check on him but he rarely spoke which was exceedingly unlike him. Steve was becoming increasingly worried, he knew that the events that had transpired the other day had affected Thor deeply, he spoke of Jane with such fondness, but he knew that shutting yourself off like that was not the way to deal with anything and he had to do something about it, he had to help.

That evening he practically had to force Tony to go out, Tony hadn't wanted to leave the tower because he was also worried about Thor but Steve was adamant he needed to go out and have fun or he would only worry more. Tony tried protesting once more before Steve spoke with finality in his tone,

"Listen, it will be fine just go out. I will be here all night and I am going to see if I can talk to him, it might be what he needs."

"Fine! But…" He merely raised an eyebrow at Tony and looked at him expectantly waiting for him to leave.

"God you are like an overbearing mother!" With that said Tony finally left leaving the place quiet again.

He felt like he needed a small bit of mental preparation before he went to speak to Thor, he always thought himself a good friend but he was finding it difficult think of things to say to him that wouldn't come across as patronising or seem like forced sympathy. He decided to go for a quick stint in the gym to work out since it was always something that relaxed him, a workout and a swift shower later he was bracing himself to go to Thor's room. He reached the door and politely giving it a few light taps before he went in, not expecting an answer and getting just that. Steve had already decided he was going to go in anyways, he greatly wanted to make sure Thor was okay and pretending it would be fine was not the way to go about that. They certainly may have not known each other for very long but he did care about Thor and he would be damned if he didn't do anything about this.

He walked silently into the room and saw him sitting on the edge of his bed, it was as if he didn't know what he wanted to be doing or where he wanted to be. Steve walked further into the room, towards Thor, and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him; the light in the room was dimming casting everything with dark shadows. He took a deep breath, ready to speak, still unsure about what he would say but before he could get a word out Thor had surprised him by speaking first.

"I have lost him Steve. I thought I could help him, save him, and now he is too far gone."

"You tried Thor. You will always know that you didn't just let this all happen. You tried so damn hard to stop it and you just couldn't do it anymore because it was out of your control." He placed his hand on Thor's shoulder; the skin was warm on his hand through the material of the t-shirt. "I know you have just lost people you once loved and it can be heart-breaking but I have learnt through experience that all you need is time and other people to be there for you. Now is the worst time to be alone."

"Everyone assumed I loved her." A confused look momentarily flitted across Steve's face at Thor's words. "I did care for her deeply, she was a remarkable woman and a pleasure to know but she was not to be mine." Steve genuinely did not know what to say at Thor's confession and didn't want to ruin things by trying, he settled for giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze at left it at that. After a few instants of silence Steve let his hand drop from Thor's shoulder as he turned to look at him. The look of raw emotion that covered Thor's face made his breath catch in his throat, never had he seen someone look so despairing yet so determined to be strong.

"Listen, if you want to talk or just need a distraction I will be here, you just need to ask." He stood up and started to walk toward to door but was slightly stunned when Thor quickly grabbed his wrist,

"Thank you Steve." Thor let go of his wrist and Steve walked out of the room after giving a small nod to Thor, as he walked into the living area the feel of Thor's hand was still clearly present on his wrist.

It was exceedingly quiet in the room with Tony not there and Thor in his room; even if Tony wasn't in the same room you could always hear him tinkering in his lab with the occasional shout and curse.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes sir?"

"Would you mind putting a movie on."

"Anything in particular cap'?" He could not believe that Tony had now asked JARVIS to call him that.

"Surprise me." He needed distracting and at least a movie would give his something to concentrate on, things were still low and he didn't want to start dwelling on it more than necessary. The subtitles had just begun to play when he just heard Thor's bedroom door open over the sound of the movie, the next thing he knew was a weight settling next to him on the couch. No words were spoken between them just a silent understanding, he must have just needed to be around someone and Steve was more than happy to oblige.


	9. Lightning

_Sorry but this took me far too long to write, I am struggling something rotten with it but here is chapter nine :)_

They both sat in comfortable silence through the duration of the film with both of them paying attention to the screen, although Steve wasn't really paying attention to the film itself; he was acutely aware of Thor's presence next to him. The sofa in the room was a very large sofa and there were a multitude of other seats, but of all the places Thor could have sat he chose to sit right next to Steve, merely inches apart. He could practically feel the heat radiating from him on his own thigh and he was annoyed and quite frankly shocked at how distracting it was. He was absolutely, nearly positive that he should not be this distracted. He was both relieved and, disappointed when the credits started rolling and Thor got up to leave; he must be tired or something and was wanting to still keep an eye on Thor, yeah that must be why he didn't want him to go. He jumped slightly as the silence was broken by Thor, who was still standing next to the couch,

"Thank you Steve."

"Anytime." Thor nodded and made his way back to him room leaving Steve to his own thoughts, the only noise was the sound of the end credits. Anytime? He could have said anything and he decided to say anytime. He could have said some words of support or encouragement and he said anytime! Yes, he must definitely be tired and he clearly wasn't thinking straight. Knowing that Tony undoubtedly wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning at the earliest he decided to turn in, he stood up and headed for his room. He was still chastising himself about what he said until he looked up and found himself standing outside Thor's room ready to knock on the door, he realised what he was doing and pulled his hand away as if it had been burnt. He was certainly acting strange.

Thor was lying on his bed considering the events of the day, his heart certainly felt that bit lighter and he was immensely grateful for that and how thankful he was that Steve was there if he needed anything. He soon heard quiet almost trepid steps outside his door, wondering why Steve would be there, he was expecting a quiet knock but it remained silent. He heard Steve exhale and walk away abruptly leaving him somewhat confused as to what he wanted and a small bit let down at the thought of being left alone again.

The next day was predictably very much the same as the previous with Thor keeping to himself and Steve taking the time to do some research and a small bit of training. Stark had returned at around lunch time, as Steve had expected he would, and come to see Steve in his room about an hour after he got back.

"Hey there."

"I am assuming you had a good time last night?" Tony gave Steve what could only be described as a cheeky grin,

"Of course I did, anyway I need you to do me a rather large favour." His eyes widened, coming from Tony that could mean literally anything so he mentally prepared himself for the worst.

"I will be leaving Stark tower for a while for some kind of boring business trip, but on the plus side I get a holiday out of it, and I need you to basically man the tower. Oh, and of course keep an eye on Thor." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, well that didn't seem too bad at all.

"Of course, when will you be leaving?"

"In about an hour." Of course it would be that soon, at least it was to be at a time when nothing major seemed to be happening and he was positive they could handle things without him there.

That evening Steve had decided he should go and actually talk to Thor, he really wanted him to be okay and if he was being completely honest with himself he missed the naturally cheerful Thor that he had known before. He finally walked up to Thor's room and this time did not stop himself from knocking on the door. He did not give Thor the chance to reply or dismiss him and walked straight into the room closing the door behind him. Thor was sitting at the rooms desk thumbing through, what appeared to be, an exceptionally old book before he turned around at the sound of the door.

"Hey, Tony has decided to take an impromptu holiday, apparently for 'business', so we are basically in charge of the tower just thought I would let you know."

"Thank you for informing me." Steve noticed that even after their small chat they had the day before Thor still seemed to be coming across as rather distant. Steve wanted to say something to him but yet again could not think of anything that could possibly help; he wanted to be comforting and was coming up with nothing. He soon noticed that he was currently just standing and observing Thor so he quickly nodded in his direction and turned to leave the room,

"Steve." He stopped abruptly, his hand halfway to the door.

"Perhaps we should watch another one of those movies, I find them enjoyable." Steve felt some small victory at this, he didn't know if it was because he thought Thor might be feeling better and he had helped or if it was for some other unknown reason.

"Yes, sure. Do you want anything from the kitchen beforehand?"

"I believe snacks are usually had when watching movies?"

"Of course, I will get that sorted." Steve left the room in a considerably better mood and went to the kitchen and made popcorn for the both of them, also pouring them both drinks and carrying them over to the coffee table in front of the sofa. At least things had a chance of returning to 'normal' now, the event not being forgotten but not being dwelt on. He sat on the sofa in his now 'usual spot' and told JARVIS to randomly select a film and wait for Thor to come over before he started it. Thor was walking over to the sofa moments later; he gave a small thankful smile to Steve before he sat down. Right next to him, Steve thought that this man had no comprehension of personal space; not that he was complaining. Why wasn't he complaining?! Should he be?

"JARVIS, start the movie." He seriously hoped the movie would at least be more distracting than Thor.

They were both very into the film and it was proving to be quite good and certainly distracting enough until Thor decided to shift on the sofa. It seemed unintentional, as if he was trying to get more comfortable but as Thor shifted his leg came into contact with Steve's and it stayed there. He could practically feel the heat from his thigh on his own, so much for not getting distracted; he could move but then it would look like he was being weird. He quietly cleared his throat, god what was wrong with him, it was just a leg! It was Thor's leg and he was acting like this. It is obviously nothing, it is more than likely because he is just feeling close to Thor after everything that happened and Tony could probably explain it scientifically so it was all good. He could just ignore it and watch the rest of the movie and not over analyse the 'leg situation'.

Forty minutes later and Steve could not for the life of him remember what happened in the entire last part of the movie and it was entirely Thor's fault with him and his bloody leg!

"That was a most enjoyable movie."

"Yes. Yes it was." Thor turned to Steve and gave him the first proper smile he had seen on Thor's face in a while, it made Steve smile back and at that exact moment Steve felt completely different. Something had changed, something was different, and he did not have a clue what to do.


	10. Turmoil

There had still been no news about Loki so for the most part everything was relatively quiet for Thor and Steve. Of course there had been the occasional call out for what they were now calling minor villains, they wholeheartedly agreed that it was Fury who decided to call them that, but they were easily dealt with and they were usually back at the tower within a few hours if it was local. So things generally continued the same at Stark tower, Tony was still away as it turned out he thought he would be getting a holiday but there was in fact a great deal of business he needed to oversee; he had complained about it down the phone to Steve for at least an hour. But with Tony gone and not forcing them to go out it seemed that every night was now an allocated movie night with JARVIS choosing a random film and Thor and Steve taking turns to make food. Each night was also becoming filled with near unbearable tension for Steve, it always seemed that Thor would be sitting far too close to him but not close enough and he genuinely though he was going slowly mad with it; to him it was unintentional torture.

After another terribly tense night and a less that decent night sleep Steve had decided that it was about time he done something about all of this, well he would consider doing something about it. He would at least try and figure out what the hell was going on with him. Of course he already had a major idea of what was going on and had done for some time; he had acted similar around Peggy and although he was loath to admit it, it was never this intense. He honestly just wanted it all to go away so he wouldn't have to deal with the obvious crisis that was going to inevitably happen. He really needed to clear his mind, so he went to the gym, which was acting as his sanctuary at the moment, where he could find a small bit of peace and either be alone with his thoughts or try not think at all. It might as well be his room for the amount of time he spent in there.

He had just changed into his 'gym gear' which just consisted of sweat pants and an old, perhaps too small, T-shirt. He walked down to the gym really looking forward to having his own version of down time until he walked through the door; of course, this was just his luck. Thor stood in the middle of the gym as if he had just got there himself and greeted Steve with a vast grin, happy to see his friend; Steve quickly smiled back trying not to give anything away. He was positive God had something against him today. He supposed he would just have to deal with it and pretend it was all okay; as long as Thor didn't notice anything was wrong with him all would fine. Perhaps not fine for Steve but fine as in no more would come of it.

"Want to spar again?" He mentally kicked himself for suggesting that, he could have went to a different part of the gym and done his own workout after saying hello, but no he had to be too nice! He was not exactly trying to avoid Thor all together but it seemed that Thor being around only seemed to exacerbate this whole situation.

"Of course, I shall try not to win too easily again." Thor's deep voice went right through him and he tried to shake it off as they moved into the sparring area, the mat soft under their feet.

"Oh you will not be winning." While they were here Steve might as well enjoy a decent fight, even if it was with Thor it still might manage to take his mind off things. Thor was quick to move forward, swiftly for his size but using his weight to his full advantage and got one blow to Steve abdomen before he countered by trapping Thor's arm under his own. He used Thor's momentum to turn them around and flip Thor onto his back on the mat, Thor sprung up quickly and started pacing around Steve; both of them were calculating their next moves and how the other might react.

"Oh it's not going to be that easy is it?" Thor barely had time to smile at his own words before Cap' was moving toward him rapidly and using his shoulder to push back Thor, using the element of surprise, he used the surprise to land a strike around his ribs which briefly knocked the wind from him. After a few seconds Thor was already on the rebound and moving to return the blow; both men seemed evenly matched with each getting in hits and both counter attacking and retaliating equally well so it seemed it would be a match of stamina and seeing who would slip or tire first.

This seemingly went on for hours for them when in reality it was not even half an hour, it had now turned from a sparring session into some form of grappling match. Each of them was breathing heavily from the effort put into trying to best the other, both of their T-shirts were damp and clinging to them, their skin slicked with sweat from the match. Strands of Thor's hair stuck to his face as he looked up at Steve, they had moved away and were now circling each other again both ready to go for the winning attack and both of their chests heaved with deep breaths stretching the damp cloth over their shoulders. Steve saw Thor's lunge coming before it happened but Cap' let him come close so he could use his motion against him. He moved to the side as Thor came close and grabbed Thor's wrist spinning around and pinning his arm up his back, he put an arm around the man's middle and used his legs to sweep Thor's out from under him using his weight to pin him onto the mat in the same move Thor had used on him. Except this time Steve hand was now pinned under Thor so it was flat against his solid stomach which was moving with every breath he took, he then took a moment to really consider the position he was in.

He still had Thor's arm held behind his back but after he had pinned him he had somehow straddled him so now his thighs were on either side of Thor's hips and he was resting on the small of his back. He could feel the movement of each breath as he continued to pin him down, the dampness of Thor's T-shirt could be felt through the material of his sweatpants as his mind started to cloud over with thoughts he didn't think himself capable of. He looked down at Thor and saw that as he pinned him his hair must have flipped to the side as a long expanse of neck was showing where his head was turned, there was a bead of sweat running down it and he felt the urge to follow the trail with his tongue and bite down on the soft skin where the trail ended… Steve seemed to suddenly snap out of his reverie, abruptly shocked by the things he was thinking of he practically sprang up off Thor and darted out of the room.

Steve let out a frustrated groan as soon he was in the hallway before he started walking towards the living room, his mind in over drive. What the hell was going on with him? If he wasn't before he was now positive god hated him, what was going on? Everything was going wrong! Well not necessarily everything but it felt that way!

Soon enough though Thor had caught up to him and had noticed that for some reason Steve seemed to be quite distressed over something, though he was not sure what. Thor, naturally being an innately caring person, moved forward and put his arms around him in what he thought would be a comforting gesture but Steve immediately pushed him away as if he had burned him. He just took one more look at Thor and that was all it took to set him off,

"WHY ME! Why is it always me! I cannot fathom it! And you, what is going on. I just cannot understand you are basically a god from another world and there is your stupid brother with MAGIC! And then you are here then all of that crap happened and you cannot even think about telling me things didn't change! I have no idea what is going on with me or you and I have all of these damn conflicting feelings about you!" Thor could have focused on any part of what Steve had just said to discuss but unsurprisingly he focused on the end.

"What feelings do you speak of?" Steve had seemingly been broken out of his 'rant mode' by this question and started to panic internally,

"Just forget it." He was silently praying that Thor would let it go but he knew he wouldn't, thankfully Tony decided that second would be the best to come in talking like he hadn't been gone and nothing was wrong. It seemed he was talking about Stark industries and something about Pepper but he instantly stopped when he perceived that there was a slightly tense atmosphere. Steve took this as his opportune moment to 'escape' the situation,

"I was just about to go to my room." He left immediately and made straight for his room where hopefully he could wait until all of this would have dissipated.

Tony turned to Thor with a confused look basically asking what had just happened Thor replied with an uncertain shrug before telling him everything that had transpired between him and cap'. After Thor had finished speaking Tony realised what was going on almost instantly and took off straight for Steve's room.


	11. Hail

Tony burst into Steve's room as if he had just made the single most important discovery in the world,

"So come on! Tell me what is going on!"

"Nothing. Just drop it." Steve tried to remain impassive so all of this would hopefully just blow over, but of course Tony was not one to let things go easily.

"Don't bullshit me Steve, Thor told me what you said to him."

"Then why the hell are you asking? Is it that important to you that you stick your nose into someone else's business?!"

"Whoa STOP! Right, for god's sake Steve what the hell is wrong with you? Why on earth are you reacting this way over something so trivial in comparison?"

"How on earth is this trivial?! I am basically having a crisis and can't seem to do anything about it!" Tony spotted how Steve seemed to be genuinely angry about what was going on with him; he also had a suspicion that one of the reasons Steve was so angry was because he thought he would not be accepted for it and he couldn't deal with that notion.

"Ahh, I see it now. Times have changed you know, there is nothing wrong with it, with you. Honestly." Tony was trying to be as rational as possible, he didn't want Steve to get so wound up and he truly wanted to help him because he knew the fear of rejection himself.

"How do you know!? You might see it as alright but other people won't."

"So now at least you confess you finally know what I'm talking about, and you are admitting it." Tony tried his damned hardest not to let a smug grin slip onto his face and he barely succeeded as the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Of course I do. Someone else was bound to figure it out sooner or later, wasn't very hard to miss. I am just glad that Thor didn't."

"Why wouldn't you want him to know?! You could get this sorted out."

"Why?! First, he more than likely already has many women waiting for him back on 'Asgard' or whatever. Secondly it's me. Thirdly we are just friends. So, to recap, NO." Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation, Steve was obviously determined not to listen to him at all and the only way to get Steve to listen was to apparently be completely blunt with him.

"Shut up! Now listen here, stop bitching about all of this. It is FINE. You are fine. Oh and Thor doesn't have any damn maidens waiting for him, you know how I know? Because I actually talk to him about things you are too scared to bring up because you don't want to think about it yourself. If you do not get this whole situation sorted out then I will do it myself! I am not having you in a constant strop around the tower. Am I clear!?" Steve could only stare at Tony, completely speechless, not a single word or phrase passing thought his head.

"My work here is done." Tony turned and walked out of the room looking as if he had just won the biggest boxing match in history although he still had something to do. He knew for a fact Steve would only pretend he was going to do something about it so he would have to take matter into his own hands.

He walked out to find Thor sitting at the breakfast bar with an incredibly guilty look on his face as if he was the cause of everything, even though inadvertently he was.

"Hey, why do you look so morbid too? Seriously, it's like I am the only one in this entire place who is in a generally positive state of mind."

"It seems that I have done something to Steve that has upset him but I do not know what."

"Oh don't beat yourself up about it point break, it's nothing you have done. Well, not intentionally anyway."

"What do you mean by not intentionally?" Thor's questioning gaze landed on him and he really wanted to pretend he was going to have a morally hard time decided whether or not to tell him but he knew he wasn't and he would tell Thor everything.

"I don't know if you have noticed but Steve seems to be having a bit of a problem around you." He raised an eyebrow suggestively at Thor hoping to god he would pick up the terribly obvious hint.

"Is this what he meant by conflicted feelings?" Tony internally congratulated himself before he explained it simply to Thor,  
"I bet he didn't mean to tell you, and yes that's exactly what he means. He also means conflicted in the sense that he is having feelings but he doesn't want you to know…" Tony trailed off as Steve walking over to them with a knowing look on his face.

"Having an interesting conversation are you?" Tony responded almost immediately,

"Well you certainly weren't going to have it." Steve and Thor merely stared at each other,

"I am going to leave you two alone."

"Don't you dare, I still want to talk to you." A wave of mild panic settled over Tony at the determined look on Steve's face, "What gives you the right to get involved?"

"Well Steve, it might not seem like it but I am actually helping. If I didn't say anything you never would have gotten anywhere with sorting this out. Now stop acting like an idiot, man up and face it!" Steve seemed incredibly shocked and Tony's outburst and could find nothing to reply with. "So, you two sort this shit out and do not even talk to me until you are both at least good friends." Tony merely turned and left. Steve watched him leave, probably heading out to a club knowing Tony, then he walked over to the bar and sat down facing Thor.  
"So what did he mean exactly about you having feelings?" Steve let his head fall into his hands; this was going to be a difficult, probably frustrating, conversation.


	12. Clear Skies

"I do not understand why you do not wish to talk to me." Steve lifted his head from his hands and glared at Thor.

"What is so hard to understand? Tony basically opened his stupid mouth and told you everything anyway, what else is there to say?" Thor looked slightly puzzled at this; he could not understand Steve's aversion to talking about something like this, as if it were a horrible secret.

"Do you just wish to ignore this now, after I know everything?"

"Well what is it we can do from here? I'm not like you; I don't have women constantly waiting to fall at my feet when I return. All I have got is what is here right now, I lost everything, I am out of time and have nothing left, everything grew old and started to disappear around me and I couldn't do a damn thing! Sometime you are going to have to go back and I will have to stay here. One day you will have to leave so what's the point?"

"Is that truly what you think of me? You do not know me at all if you think me so shallow that I would go back to Asgard for something such as the women or that I would leave something important. If you had spent the time to properly talk to me then you would know I do not even prefer the female form. You are so stuck in your old fashioned ways it does not mean it is that way on Asgard and it should not be that way here. Why can you not let go of your old world ideals, is it that wrong to you? Do you think me vile for it?!" Half way through his small speech Thor had stood and leant over the bar, his hands were balled into fists pressing into the bar top. He did not know whether to be angry at Steve for thinking that way or hurt that he did. Steve stood up and moved around the bar to face Thor, he did not want to turn this into a confrontation but it seemed tempers and emotions were running high.

"You have no idea what this is like for me! I was brought up being taught a man is with a woman and anything else is just not right. You are asking me to forget everything I have been taught and you are telling me what I know is wrong." They both turn towards the door at the same time as they heard Tony muttering under his breath before he left, something that sounded suspiciously like _I am not getting any more involved in this. _Steve was glad for the momentary interruption as it seemed to give him time to calm down slightly before he continued. "You just can't understand what it's like being asked to unlearn everything. I want to try I just don't know how! Why does everything have to be so complicated! Why can't it just…"

Steve was shocked into silence when he felt a pair of soft lips on his, firm but not forceful. Before he could mentally respond his lips were already moving against Thor's, they moved to be closer; their bodies almost flush before they broke apart. Steve's voice was quiet before he finally got to finish his sentence,

"Be simple." The small smile on Thor's lips was all it took before he was letting himself be led by the hand to Thor's room. He certainly needed to re-evaluate his position on things.

* * *

Thor woke up slowly; the sheets on his bed were tangled around his waist exposing his back to the now cool air, one arm was thrown over Steve's torso, a hand splayed out on his chest. He started to shift slightly and the movement had Steve waking up not long after. Once he had opened his eyes and took in his surrounding a sleepy grin presented itself on his face as he pulled Thor towards him, his arms wrapped around his shoulders, and Thor's arm moved down so he could rest his hand on Steve's waist. After a few moment of simply letting their eyes roam over the other Thor made to move,

"Perhaps we should get up, the hour seems quite late." Steve stirred and stretched his arms over his head,

"I suppose so." They both started to get out of the bed both of them in small parts slightly disappointed at the fact they felt they needed to get up in the first place. Steve was silently wishing they could waste the day away in bed, a day where he could for once be totally selfish and get everything his way. As if he had read his thoughts Thor turned to him as he was slipping a t-shirt over his head,

"Perhaps another time?" Steve merely grinned at Thor and the general prospect of getting to do that before getting dressed himself and following Thor out of the door.

Thor and Steve entered the bar area to find Tony nearly clinging onto a cup of coffee obviously chasing away the remnants of a hangover, although he did perk up considerably when they both walked into the area. Both of them were obviously coming from the direction of Thor's room.

"Well good morning sleeping beauty and oh look there is the prince." Steve looked at Tony with a withering glare, not even wanting to think who he was calling sleeping beauty. Thor merely ignored it and replied with a good morning of his own.

"Hey, I'm not gonna say anything except thank god that's sorted." Tony took another drink of his coffee, draining the cup and placing it down on the table top before his phone started ringing. Tony rolled his eyes at the thought of having to talk to anyone else but answered the phone nonetheless,

"Yeah? Mhmm, yes okay, yes, for god's sake yes I will tell him. Okay! Right, bye." Tony hung up and put the phone back in his pocket before turning to Thor, an amused look on his face.

"Happy has told me to let you know you have to stop wearing his t-shirts because you are stretching them." Tony was stifling back laughter as he was saying this, as he could obviously hear the jealousy in Happy's voice when he was on the phone.

"It is not my fault I cannot wear Asgardian clothing here on Midgard."

"Well," what could only be described as a shit eating grin spread across his face as he narrowed his eyes at Thor, "Looks like we will have to go shopping." Steve had to swallow his laughter at the thought of Thor being dragged shopping but the look on his face was soon one of utter resent as Tony spoke again.

"Don't think you're getting out of it either Cap'."

* * *

They were already laden down with bags and yet Tony still insisted that they needed more clothes 'just in case' was his reply every time Steve protested at entering another store. But possibly the worst (or most amusing) thing about it was that Thor was completely enjoying himself. The entire idea of a mall like this, with nearly everything in it, being unfamiliar too him. He was acting like a huge child and Steve never thought he would ever call Thor cute but there he was; he was mostly putting up with carrying bags and walking round just so Thor could stay in the mall longer. Although, at one point Tony and Steve both had to stop Thor from buying more than a few garish Hawaiian shirts which he seemed enthralled with. It also seemed that at some point during their 'trip' they were being followed by a group of women who still must have been in their twenties; he assumed they were following because they 'fancied' one of them or all of them or some strange reason. It was only after he noticed they were looking at him and Thor in what could only be described as a predatory way he started to get slightly defensive; he made sure they could see them at all times and started getting really close to Thor. He started with small touches on his arm and then the small of his back, letting his hand linger. Thor didn't seem to know what was going on with the women but he leaned into the touches quite readily, replying with a few of his own; at one point he even grabbed Steve's hand and gave it a slight squeeze before letting go. The women had soon disappeared and all was well but Steve, Steve was utterly worn out. He could have cried with relief when Tony suggested they sit down and waited for Thor while went off in the search of 'one of those Midgardian snacks'. He and Tony sat down next to each other, in what appeared to be the centre of the mall, next to an unnecessarily huge feature for a seating area. Both men sat in comfortable silence merely watching people pass by, a few stalled when they saw Tony but carried on when they saw how tired he looked obviously thinking better of bothering him.

They had been sitting there for about five minutes, both in their own worlds, before everything seemed to get eerily quiet. Each thought it was only because they were lost in their own world watching the people go by and merely observing; this explanation would have been favoured unfortunately nothing seemed to ever go completely their way. They both stood up immediately when they heard the first scream. Of all the places, of all the times, when they were normal, happy even, it had to happen now. One scream turned into a cacophony of screaming and shouting echoing through the mall. Tony was on the verge of rolling his eyes in irritation, if this was one of those stupid idiot 'villains' that just liked to annoy people like him and Cap' he was going to be so pissed, he just wanted a day shopping for god's sake! The thought was soon literally knocked out of him as a strong painful blow landed on his stomach and sent him flying back; he hit the wall with a nauseating crack. Tony lay on the floor bleeding and blacked out as people ran around him, trying to get out of the mall and save their own skin.

Not instants later Thor came running towards what seemed to be the centre of the chaos, he heard the ruckus and immediately knew something was wrong and had to get to Steve and Tony. He immediately stopped in his tracks at the sight before him; Steve had a stream of blood running down his face, a dazed look as if he had been concussed. Thor's concern increased tenfold when he saw the glinting dagger that was being held tight against Steve's throat, his concern was instantaneously replaced with bitter anger as he saw the person holding the knife.

Loki merely smirked at him as he his other arm snaked its way around Steve's waist before they were gone. A blaze of green light and they were gone.


	13. Blizzard

Thor's eyes widened in horror at what had just transpired, the only thought running through his mind being _please not again_, it had been difficult enough with Jane but gods not Steve. He barely managed to get into gear and pull himself back together before he rushed over to Tony, only to find him on the floor with what seemed to be a rather serious head wound. He finally came to and looked up at Thor, he seemed a bit dazed but generally okay for the moment, despite the seemingly alarming amount of blood. As soon as he saw the panic on Thor's face Tony seemed to sharpen into focus knowing something was vastly wrong. Thor's voice was deep with worry as laced with anger as he looked Tony in the eye and merely said,

"He has Steve." Before Tony could respond his phone rang with an emergency tone he had set up with JARVIS, he answered it instantly. JARVIS told him he had to get to Stark tower immediately; he didn't need telling twice as he knew straight away that's where Loki was right now. They both shot up and ran for the car, Thor could have went ahead but as much as he wanted to save Steve he also couldn't leave Tony, and plus they would have to do this together.

Tony doesn't think he has ever driven this fast in his life; they couldn't get there fast enough and when they did they launched themselves out of the car while forming a quick and hopefully effective plan. Tony, being the genius that he was decided he could try and play on the fact that Loki may still think he was unconscious from the blow, as he got into his trusted iron man suit he always kept in the car he filled Thor in on his idea.

"In hoping that Loki still thinks I am bleeding on a floor somewhere I can easily go out of Stark tower and hopefully go unnoticed. I am without doubt he will be at the top in the living area; it's flashier and more theatrical as he seems to like it. You are gonna go up and either bargain with him or distract him enough that I can at least get a shot in. That's all I have."

"That should most certainly be enough; well it will have to be." Thor held out his hand as he spoke, Mjölnir came to him and he caught it deftly swinging it around in his hand before he nodded to Tony and headed for the top of Stark tower. Tony flew out of the garage door heading to the top of Stark tower, trying to keep hidden; the only thing racing through his mind was that of desperation. They couldn't lose Steve.

Thor ran into the living area and stopped immediately as he saw Loki there with Steve; there was glass littered around them, a breeze playing with their hair from the window that had been shattered. Loki stood behind Steve, his arms around his middle, a dagger pointed at his stomach with his other hand grasped in his t-shirt keeping him still. Steve looked like he had his hands bound behind his back further restricting his movement, his skin was dusted with fine cuts from the glass most likely but a sickening stream of crimson ran down the side of his face covering his throat and soaking the neck of his t-shirt. Thor simply murmured Loki's name, but that murmur was laced with warning and threat as he moved his body into a stance prepared for battle. Loki smirked at him, the ever present glint of menace in his eyes making itself known.

"This is a pretty one Thor. Better than the last one I think. I may have to keep this one for myself, I'm sure he would make an exceptionally good pet." Loki tightened the grip on Steve's t-shirt and he used the back of the hand holding the dagger to stroke the side of his face, a smear of red being left on the back of his hand as he left it to rest at Steve's throat, the dagger nipping at the skin. Steve tried to remain impassive but on the inside he was churning, he could honestly say this was most definitely one of the worst things that had ever happened to him. He did however comprehend that Thor and Tony would have a plan. He only assumed the plan would involve taking Loki by surprise since Tony was nowhere to be seen; he was willing to take the risk of being injured, no matter how severely or fatally, to get this over with. He just had to take that risk, a look of grief momentarily washed over his features at the thought before he gave a minute nod to Thor. It was the go ahead for their plan, also a reassurance to Thor and to himself that maybe, just maybe, this might work and everyone can live just this once. Thor looked Loki dead in the eye as he spoke,

"Do it." A temporary looks of confusion flitted across Loki's features making him narrow his eyes. There was a sudden blast of blue and Steve flew forward from Loki's grasp and fell to the floor, as soon as Steve was clear Thor went for his 'brother'. Tony immediately came in and headed straight for Steve, he knew Thor could deal with Loki so he could make sure Steve was alright. Everything became a blur for Thor, all he knows is his rage for a brother long lost and a need for revenge it has passed the point of no return for them now and one of them but break and it definitely wasn't going to be Thor. Everything was a flurry of movement, fast attacks and quick defences, neither of them holding back but Loki as devious and strong as he was did not count on Thor's determination and was soon on the floor at Thor's feet panting with physical exertion. Thor was brought back to himself as he heard Tony nearly screaming his name in the background, he looked down at Loki and the smirk that was still on his face let him know it wasn't over yet. A final blow dealt to Loki ensured he was incapacitated before Thor rushed over to where Tony was kneeling over Steve. Thor's stomach churned at the sight, tony was desperately trying to apply pressure to a severe gash on Steve's chest where the dagger had torn into him as he was thrown forward with the repulsor blast. His t-shirt over his torso was also torn and long bloody scratch marks were present from where Loki had tried to hold onto his prize.

"Listen you have to take Loki and I will stay with Steve and get him help." Tony was trying to remain calm but the tremor in his voice gave him away, he was scared, they were both scared for Steve. Thor refused to move from Steve wanting to desperately make sure he was okay but he needed to take Loki. Tony finally gave up trying to reason with him and practically bellowed at Thor.

"IF YOU DO NOT SORT OUT LOKI AND TAKE HIM AWAY THEN THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND STEVE WILL BE TARGETED AND IF HE DOESN'T NOW THEN NEXT TIME HE WILL DIE!" This seemed to immediately hit home with Thor, he sobered at the thought and lines of grim determination set on his face before he moved over to Loki. He simply picked up his currently unconscious form to take him to be contained until he could be dealt with.

Tony tried to keep pressure on Steve's wound as he shouted for JARVIS to send for additional help, his hands were nearly shaking with panic as he tried to stop the flow. _Please. Let him be alright. _


	14. After the Storm

He forced his eyes open feeling groggy from what felt like an incredibly long deep sleep, the room was dim, the small amount of light casting dark shadows throughout the room. A small groan passed his lips as he tried to move, working the stiffness of no movement from his body; a mild throb of pain crossed his chest and he looked down to the source of the pain and noticed the swathe of bandages wrapped around him. Steve was incredibly grateful at this point for the serum as it seemed to exponentially speed up his healing process meaning any bad pain should be gone completely in a short while. He soon noticed a slight shuffling by the side of the bed and turned his neck to see Thor sitting in a chair where he had obviously just sleeping. Thor stretched his neck working out the kinks from being asleep in a chair before turning his gaze to Steve who spoke; his voice slightly rough from disuse.

"How long have I been out?" Thor immediately handed him a drink of water which he took gratefully taking a few mouthfuls and handing it back before Thor began to answer him.

"Merely a couple of days, which is truly unexpected, everyone thought it would be at least a week due to your injuries. It was said you had suffered severe blood loss, once you had been brought here and placed into bed you have not stirred until now."

"And you've been here all the time?" There was a small amount of uncertainty in Thor's voice when he spoke, as if here were unsure whether or not to answer truthfully, he finally went with the truth.

"Actually, yes. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"You know you don't need an excuse. Why were you in the chair though?"

"I was honestly still unsure as to where you stood with me and I did not want to disturb you in any way."

"I don't really think I need to say anything on where I stand with you concerning that; I thought that it was clear enough. But I do know that this, whatever it may be, will be completely new to me and probably difficult but I am very willing to try." Thor appeared to be delighted at Steve's apparent admission; his face could only be described as beaming. "Also, why are you still sitting there?" Steve slowly shifted and lifted up the corner of the quilt, nodding to the empty side of the bed, an invitation. He would be damned if after all of this he would mess this up or lose Thor now.  
Thor tried not to seem too eager as he vacated the chair and walked around the bottom of the bed to the other side. He took off his sweatpants, leaving them on the floor, before sliding under the quilt next to Steve, facing him. Steve gingerly started to turn so he was also on his side and facing Thor, it took him a few moments as he didn't want to worsen his injury. As soon as they were facing each other Thor brought his arm up to wrap it around Steve's waist pulling himself closer, lightly stroking the skin on Steve's bare back. Steve leant closer to Thor at the touch and chastely brushed their lips together, searching Thor's eyes for some form of reassurance.  
Thor did not bother to say a word and instead pressed his lips to Steve's again, this time letting them linger as he ran his hand up Steve's back.  
They parted again and Steve was seemingly trying to avoid eye contact as he began to speak,

"You know I might not be good at this. I won't really know what I'm doing and sometimes I might be awful. Do you think you could manage that, dealing with me?"

"I do not know why you fret. We can make it work; I will make it work for you if you will simply let me."

"But I know you will have to leave at some point, I don't know if I could manage that especially after all of this. Even when you have to take Loki back to Asgard, you won't be here. I hate to sound needy or helpless, it sounds awful but there it is."

"Listen to me Steve, as long as we both want this to work, it will. There is always a way." Their lips met again, their feelings spilling out through their actions, tired of words. Yes, they would definitely make this work.

* * *

"Right guys have fun; I will stay to see you two boys off." Tony was acting like he was some kind of overbearing father and he hated to say it but Steve found it all rather embarrassing especially surrounded by a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Thor placed a hand on his shoulder in assurance,

"Are you sure about this Steve?" They were in the middle of a large clearing on the outer edges of New York with a few cars around them; one of them being Tony's where he was resting on the hood playing with his phone.

"Yes, it will be… an experience." They were both waiting for the S.H.I.E.L.D. van to arrive before they could be on their way. Soon enough a large black armoured van was driving towards them, they pulled up a good few metres from Thor and Steve before four agents exited the van. They made sure they were on alert with two on either side before they removed the awaited 'cargo' from the back.

Despite his temporary imprisonment with S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki's eyes still glittered with malice and he was removed from the van and marched over to be handed to Thor. The agents immediately turned around and left for the van after Thor gripped onto Loki's arm. His hands were bound by manacles, courtesy of Thor, which in turn were chained to his waist. His mouth was covered with what could only be described as a muzzle, obviously Asgardian in design; it seemed that they couldn't take any chances.

"Well see you boys later, be good. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Steve chuckled at the fact that Tony had the cheek to say that before watching him get into his car. Both he and Thor gave a slight wave before he turned around and drove back to the tower before they turned to each other.

"Ready?" Steve was more ready than ever but also tremendously unsure but he would also be lying if he said he wasn't rather excited. He nodded his head and smiled at Thor, this was all going to be the start of something exceptionally remarkable.  
Thor looked towards the sky before letting his voice ring out,

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"

* * *

_And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears._

_And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears._

_After the Storm – Mumford & Sons_

* * *

_Thank you so much for reading, feel free to leave a review I really hope I done them justice (since it is a pairing I am very not used to haha) Again, this was for Lewis and a big thank you to Lilium-Rosa for the help and letting me complain at her about this fic all of the time haha. _


End file.
